


Night Terror

by Black2sugars



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula (Avatar) Redemption, F/F, F/M, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24788845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Black2sugars/pseuds/Black2sugars
Summary: What's the saying "Can't teach an old dog new tricks?"  Well, if she can't get Zuko to bend to her will then maybe she can get sweet young Izumi to be the ruthless leader the Fire Nation needs.  The youth is the future after all.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Jin/Zuko (Avatar), Mai & Zuko (Avatar), Suki & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 9
Kudos: 70





	1. The Fire

  
"She's firebending in her sleep" Azula remarked amusingly as she sat perched on the ceiling beam of Izumi's bedroom.

The little girl stood in the middle of her room, feet firmly planted, arms strong in front of her as little bursts of fire shot out from her clenched fists. She went through a series of movements, fluid and intentional, and ended it with her palms held upwards together in front of her chest, a small fire dancing in her clasped hands. Izumi held the flame for a little while before extinguishing it and slowly made her way back to her bed. She let out a little content sigh and sleepily mumbled "Aunt Suki said the turtleduck is pregnant. We will need a bigger pond soon, daddy".

Azula jumped down from her spot and walked over to Izumi's bed. She crouched down so that her face was level with Izumi and smiled mischievously. She remembered how easily Mai used to answer her in her sleep after a bout of sleepwalking and had a feeling Izumi will be just as forthcoming.

"Oh Zumi..." Azula sing-songed as she played with Izumi's hair.

Izumi groaned in response.

"When did you learn to firebend?" Azula stopped playing with her hair and stared at Izumi's sleeping face.

"I can't firebend. I don't know how to. Daddy can though, he's real good at it". Azula mulled over that sentence for a bit before continuing.

"Are you sure you can't firebend?"

"...I don't know actually. I don't think so"

"Do you want to firebend?"

Izumi turned over in her sleep and mumbled "No, no thank you"

Azula quirked her eyebrow in confusion, why would anyone choose to be a non-bender or deny the ability to firebend, the greatest bending art of them all. Izumi is not a stupid child this much Azula is sure of, she is clever albeit naive and way too trusting, but she is not stupid.

"Zumi, to firebend is the greatest thing there is. Every single Fire Lord in Fire Nation history was a firebender. As heir to the throne, it is expected that you can firebend".

Izumi groaned in response and kicked the covers off her. "I don't want to firebend, I just want to spend time with daddy."

A scowl formed on Azula's face. This is the heir apparent to the great Fire Nation, a silly four-year old girl who refuses to firebend. This will not do.

"Izumi, you are a firebender."

she groaned again in response.

"Izumi, you have to firebend"

"No"

"You are a firebender"

"No"

"Izumi"

"No, I don't wanna!" Izumi raised her hands above her head and shot a small fireball from her hands lighting the canopy above her on fire. She woke up startled and started crying. The fire started to spread all around her.

Azula looked at Izumi and huffed in annoyance. She quickly picked up the young child and jumped through the window.

Gongs could be heard outside and servants were yelling. "Help! The west wing is on fire! The princess is inside! Help!"

Zuko hurriedly threw on a robe and ran towards the west wing. He knew it, he knew moving her to the west wing was a terrible idea. Why did he agree to moving his precious daughter from his room to a room all to herself, let alone to an entirely different wing of the palace in the first place? As he ran towards the west wing, he berated himself. Stupid Zuko, stupid, stupid, stupid. Why did you listen to them, what do they know about parenting, stupid court rules, stupid outdated decorum. He could hear his heartbeat thumping wildly, tears threatening to spill. Please be safe, Izumi. Spirits, please don't take her away.

He stood in front of Izumi's room, his eyes widening in shook. Everything was in flames. Time stood still. Zuko fell to his knees...and then he heard her voice. He looked towards his right and saw his little girl running towards him.

"Daddy, Daddy" she yelled as her little feet carried her into her father's arms.

Zuko held her tightly and started to sob.

Izumi rubbed gentle circles on her dad's back and spoke softly into his ears.

"It's okay. It's okay" she repeated, just like how he would when she fell and scraped her knee really hard that one time.

They held each other until almost all of the flames were put out. He took a deep breath and finally looked her over to see if she had any signs of injury.

The gears in his head started to churn. How did this happen? Was it an accident or was it arson? How did Izumi escape?

Azula looked at the scene unfolding between Izumi and Zuko from her position from behind a tree. She sighed heavily and then left without a trace into the shadows.


	2. Separation Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko just radiates strong single dad vibes, ya know?

“Isn’t Izumi a little too old to be sharing a bed with you” Suki asked

“How did the investigation go?” he asked, avoiding her question.

“From what the guards gathered; the fire started from the inside. No matches were found, no oil either.”

“So, a firebender then. “he replied a frown on his face.

“Yes, most definitely a firebender.”

“Who could it be, I made sure to get rid of advisors who were still loyal to my father’s cause. Have there been any new hires recently? Gardeners, cooks ? “

Suki shook her head. Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an exasperated sigh.

“There is another possibility, Fire Lord Zuko…”

Zuko raised his hand and smiled at Suki. “I know we are in the throne room, but the court has been dismissed. You can just call me Zuko, Suki. “

Suki smiled and continued “ I don’t know much about firebending and child development, but I do know that back in the Earth Kingdom, this is usually the age that children express their ability to earthbend”.

“You think Izumi started the fire?”

“I think that is the most plausible and frankly the best explanation for what happened.”

“Izumi is an honest girl, she would have told me by now if she started the fire. Also, why would she even want to set her room on fire? “

Suki placed a hand on Zuko’s shoulder “You and Izumi has shared a room since she was born. Now all of sudden, you move her in her own room in an entirely different wing…again not a child expert here but I can see why she would throw a tantrum”

Suki started walking off and Zuko followed her out of the throne room. They walked together stride in stride.

“Izumi did not oppose the change though”

Suki stopped and gave him an incredulous look. “Okay, fine, she did put up a little fight the first three nights, but everything was fine after that. She was consistently sleeping in her own room for a whole month before this fire.”

Suki shot him another incredulous look.

“Zuko, you employed me as your personal guard along with my some of my Kiyoshi warriors. We are your guards and as guards we are only here to protect you and the royal family, not to babysit or nurture. So, when we see little Izumi walking towards your room at night again for the fourth time in a week, we are not going to stop her because there is no threat there, and also we are not her parents so we can’t step in. The only time we can is if there is an immediate threat to her safety. I don’t know about you but saying that she was consistently sleeping on her own is an overstatement”.

Zuko let out another sigh.

“Okay, but three out of seven nights is almost a passing grade. Besides, there is nothing wrong with a father providing his child, his only child mind you, comfort, and security. Also, when did you become so invested in how I parent? “

“I don’t usually, but people have been talking. The court has been saying things.”

“What kind of things?”

“Things like ‘oh he can barely manage his family, how can he manage a nation’, ‘Our great Fire Lord is being conned by his child, I guess she inherited the Mad Princess’s manipulative streak’ “

Zuko visibly winced at the last comment.

“Just another night and then she can have her own room, we’ll move her in the empty room across from me. Which is where I wanted to move her anyways before I listened to those stuffy old advisors. Those geezers might be experts at tax tables but I doubt their parenting advice.”

“Why do I not believe you?” Suki laughed.

“What are you talking about?”

“Another night most likely means at least another week before this supposed move happens. “

“That’s not true” Zuko replied quickly.

“Oh my fieriness, but it is true we both know it’s true. You know...I think you’re the one with separation anxiety, not Izumi. It’s starting to make a lot of sense now. Who else can walk into the crown princess’s bedroom undetected?”

“Okay, now that’s absolutely ridiculous “Zuko chuckled “Also, I don’t have separation anxiety. You’re wrong. And why would I set fire to her room? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard”

“I don’t know…parents can do crazy things for their children you know” Suki smiled

“You, you’re cut off from court gossip. It is rotting your brain clearly, but you might be right about Izumi firebending. The question is if she can firebend, why is she hiding it?”

“Maybe she’s not”

“What do you mean?”

“Sokka once told me a story of Aang sleepbending when he was still learning to control the four elements. It could be possible that Izumi has been firebending in her sleep and not even aware of it.”

He paused abruptly and turned to Suki.

“I used to do that too, firebend in my sleep when I was young, but I only did that when I was really stressed. She’s stressed. The sudden change in her sleeping environment is stressing her out. I caused this.”

“We don’t know that, Zuko. Kids sleepwalk all the time, I think it’s just a normal sleep thing. “

The sound of a loud bell was heard and both Suki and Zuko made their way back to the throne room.

“What is this meeting about?” Suki asked.

“Something about cabbage? I only briefly glanced at the agenda for this meeting last night. “

“Hm, I wonder why that is…was it perhaps your daughter asking you to read Love amongst the Dragons yet again?” Suki smirked.

“One week. Suki. One week” Zuko declared before stepping foot into the throne room for the third time that day.


	3. Playing with Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does one converse with a potential firebending four-year-old prodigy?

“Tai Wei Yuan consists of the left wall, the right wall, the usher to the court, the three excellences…” Izumi looked up from her astronomy book and looked around her.

“Daddy?” She called out.

Azula stepped out from behind the pillar she was hiding against.

“Good afternoon, Zumi”

Izumi gave her a bright smile and waved from where she was sitting cross-legged on the floor.

“Hello, Zula!”

Azula stalked over to Izumi and crouched beside her, observing the book laid across her lap.

“Isn’t that a little advanced for you?”

“It’s mostly pictures! Although it’s more fun to learn about stars with Daddy than it is from a book”

“You know what’s also fun to learn? Fire” Azula snapped her fingers, a small blue flame appearing at her fingertips.

Izumi looked at the blue flame apprehensively and replied “We have to be careful with fire, Zula. It can hurt people.”

“Yes, but that’s why it’s so fun”

“I don’t know … Daddy has always said that you should be careful with fire.”

“Oh come on, Zumi I thought we were friends, don’t you want to play with me?” Azula asked with a sweet sickly smile.

Izumi glanced at the small blue flame and Azula’s face and back again. She tapped her fingers against her book and furrowed her brow in deep thought.

Azula flicked her wrist and made a small ring of fire in the air before quickly extinguishing it. She then moved her fingers in a quick and intricate pattern and in the palm of her right hand created a small flame in the shape of a dragon.

Izumi looked at the fire dragon in complete awe and let out a gasp.

“How did you do that?”

“I can teach you, I can teach you this and so much more, Zumi”

Izumi looked at her and bit her bottom lip.

“Um…can I think about it? I don’t know”

Azula extinguished the flame in frustration.

“Why don’t you know? What’s stopping you?”

“I…I…I just feel like bending fire seems like a really big responsibility and I really don’t want to do that yet. I’m only four.”

“What?” Azula asked irritation lacing her voice.

Izumi closed her book, stood up, and placed her book on the desk in the room.

“What are you talking about?” Azula pressed.

“According to Uncle Aang, bending is a gift from the big lion turtle. It’s a really big responsibility, Zula. I shouldn’t just play with fire willy nilly. I should respect it and learn properly”.

A gong was heard in the distance. “Oh, he’s done for the day!” Izumi chirped running over to the door. She turned her head to look at Azula before exiting the room.

“I’ll play with you tomorrow, Zula. Don’t hurt yourself, okay? Fire is dangerous and I wouldn’t want to lose a friend over an accidental fire.”

Azula watched Izumi run towards the throne room. She couldn’t believe it. Are all children like this? What is wrong with this child?

She let out a sigh and stealthily made her way back to her room. The good thing about people thinking you’re dead is that you get to terrorize them at night. Rumours were circulating far and wide about the Mad Princess’s unsettled spirit lingering in the palace wing that she used to occupy back when she was alive.

Azula’s not dead, of course. It would take a lot more than a psychotic breakdown, a thunderstorm, and a sunken ship to kill her.


	4. Take your kid to work day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What makes a great leader and how many marshmallows is too much?

He woke up to the morning rays streaming through his window, a slight breeze tickling his exposed feet. A small hand was on top of his face and a leg was across his torso, Izumi in addition to being a little blanket hog likes to spread out while sleeping like most children her age. He smiled and slowly got up from bed, being very careful not to wake up the little girl.

He looked down at the sleeping girl, a sense of contentment washing over him. It’s moments like this that he treasured most, no sense of impending doom, no overwhelming sense of guilt that he was a failure of a Fire Lord, the burden of responsibilities and things he needed to do have not settled in his mind yet, in this peaceful moment, he was simply Zuko, proud father of a happy and healthy daughter.

He knew he should start to get ready for the day, but the urge to just indulge in this sweet moment won. He sat back down on the bed and gently stroked Izumi’s hair. Just a couple more minutes and then he can go back to Fire Lord Zuko with all the responsibilities that come with it.

****************************************************************

They were standing in front of the throne room, and advisors were filing into the room to prepare for the day’s meetings. Zuko looked down at the small girl tugging at his sleeve. She was determined and he had a feeling that she was not going to back down easily.

“Izumi, I have to go and attend to my duties”

“I know, Daddy. You’re not listening to me”

“Izumi, these meetings are dull and long, and certainly not a place for a four-year-old”

“I promise that I’ll be good and quiet”

“Don’t you want to go and play in the gardens? It’s such a beautiful day outside. All that lovely fresh air and the brilliant sun! Doesn’t that sound nice?” He reasoned with her.

She looked at him, eyes wide, a small little pout on her face. He crouched down to her level, he could feel the eyes of the palace servants staring and pressing their lips together in a thin line.

He saw advisor Chau throw him a sympathetic glance his way as he walked into the throne room.

Zuko placed both his hands on Izumi’s shoulder. “My darling turtleduck, I promise that we can play together after I’m done. I’ll even let you have sweets for dinner tonight as a treat.”

Izumi looked down at the floor tiles, contemplating his suggestion.

In the throne room, the advisors were seated in their designated spots and chatting amongst themselves.

“Do you think Princess Izumi will sit in this meeting?” Advisor Chau asked the room.

“Does it matter if she does or not? She’s going to in the future anyhow, more experience for her, start them young” Adviser Wong jested.

“Well whether or not she attends the meeting, I would like this meeting to start on time.” Mai deadpanned as she twirled a dagger around her index finger.

“Governor, the Fire Lord is never late, everyone is simply early” Ming beamed brightly. He was the youngest amongst the advisors, aside from Mai herself, and was in charge of transportation development. Mai has to periodically remind herself not to stab him in the face during meetings. He’s a little too earnest for Mai’s taste.

A gong was struck and they all turned their heads towards the entrance of the room and stood up. Zuko was making his way to his spot at the head of the table with little Izumi in tow.

Once he was seated at the table, they all bowed their heads and recited “Long live Fire Lord Zuko, may our great nation flourish in peace and prosperity under his reign”. He motioned with his hand for them to sit and they all took their seats.

Izumi sat on a chair behind Zuko that was slightly offset and gleefully swung her legs, absolutely delighted that her dad had agreed to her terms.

Izumi looked around the room and locked eyes with Treasurer Song, he smiled and glanced at her swinging feet. Izumi followed his gaze and abruptly stopped swinging her feet and ducked her head apologetically. He nodded his head in approval at her and began “Today’s first item to be discussed is the building of the national railway system connecting the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation….”

Izumi watched each of the advisors as they held their meeting, taking note of their expressions and posture as the meeting went on. Mai looked slightly peeved as Advisor Ming explained his talking points, some of the older advisors looked on pensively, while others nodded their heads in agreement. Treasurer Song was diligently writing down the important and actionable items, and Zuko periodically would turn to look at Izumi. Zuko was right, the meeting was long but Izumi was entertained by the flow of the conversation even if she couldn’t fully comprehend the points some of the advisors were making. It was fun to pretend to be an adult.

“I think this would be a good time to take an intermission” Zuko announced as he looked around the room. All the advisors nodded in agreement. Treasurer Song put his brush down and struck a small bell. All the advisors stood up, turned to Zuko and bowed before leaving the room.

Zuko, Treasurer Song and Izumi were the only ones left in the room.

"Princess Izumi, I must say you were so well behaved in today's meeting. You're well-behaved all the time, but especially so today." Treasure Song remarked.

Izumi hopped down from her chair and replied "Thank you for saying that, Treasurer Song!"

Zuko smiled and looked at Izumi with pride in his eyes. “Yes, thank you for being so well behaved”.

Treasurer Song stood up from behind his desk and bowed to Zuko “Well, I will see you in a little bit, my liege. I think I’m going to take a nice stroll in the gardens to stretch my legs.”

“See you in a little bit, Treasurer Song!” Izumi said cheerfully and waved. He did a small bow and left the room.

Izumi walked over to Zuko and climbed into his lap. “It was nice spending time with you today”

Zuko looked at the little girl in his lap and replied “Really? It must have been so dull for you. All these adults just talking and talking”.

“I couldn’t really understand the whole conversation, but it was fun to pretend to be an adult” she smiled.

“When we are young, we always want to be older but when you’re old enough, you always want your youth back” He smiled back and leaned in to rub noses with her. “ Don’t grow up too fast and enjoy being a kid, my turtleduck”.

“Do I have to be a fire bender to lead the nation, Daddy?”

There was a brief pause before he spoke. Zuko remembered how Ozai wanted to abandon him as a baby because he thought he didn’t have that fire bender “spark”. Zuko never did the tinder test with Izumi, never had the inclination to see if she was a fire bender when she was born because bender or not, he would never abandon her. He’s been breaking tradition left and right since he had the throne, one more is not going to hurt.

“No. It doesn’t matter if you can bend or not”.

“Really? You can fire bend though and you’re the Fire Lord and I’ve been told that every Fire Lord in history has been benders too, right?”

“Yes, that is true.”

“So, if I were to be the Fire Lord one day, I would also have to fire bend, right?”

“What do you think a Fire Lord does?” Zuko asked

Izumi tilted her head in thought “They lead the nation.”

“Okay, and how does one lead the nation?” He asked gently.

“Oh, that’s easy! They tell people what to do.”

Zuko laughed easily “That’s one way to lead, but not the best. If you’re not careful you can become a tyrant with that style of leadership”.

“Ty-rant?” Izumi tested this new word on her tongue. “Yes, a tyrant” Zuko repeated.

“What’s a tyrant?”

“A tyrant is someone who rules without listening to others. Someone who exerts their power over the weak”.

“So, to be a good leader, you listen to other people?”

Zuko nodded his head. “You listen to other people’s concerns and ideas, and you make the best decision that you can for the people.”

Izumi wrinkled her nose “ That seems really hard.” Zuko sighed and smiled “Yes, it can be”

“So firebending is not a requirement to be a Fire Lord than right? Since the Fire Lord’s job is to lead the nation and bending ability doesn’t really apply to leadership.”  


He nodded his head and placed a kiss on her forehead. “That being said, if you ever want to learn, I’m willing to teach you. I have lots of fire bending experience and have been told I’m pretty good at it. I did teach the Avatar, you know”.

“Really? You’ll teach me?!” Izumi asked excitedly.

“Yes, I can teach you.”

“So, you’re not going to ship me off to some tutor to learn?”

“Well, we will have tutors to supplement your learning and provide guidance when I’m busy at court, but I’ll teach you.”

“Fire is dangerous though, Daddy,” Izumi remarked.

“Yes, but it’s also life and energy and joy, and can be quite remarkable and beautiful and powerful.”

Izumi took a moment to digest this information and then asked with the brightest smile on her face. The type of smile you would have when a genius idea has taken hold of your mind.

“So what you’re saying is…if I can fire bend then I can roast marshmallows at will, without asking Aunty Suki or the court ladies to help me!”

Zuko chuckled and responded “ Yeah, I guess you can, but you still have to ask me if you should. Too many sweets can give you a tummy ache.”

“So can I have 10?”

“Five.”

“Daddy, five is not enough. How about eight?”

“Five, Izumi”

“Eight!”

“I can reduce it to two if you want, darling” he sang.

“Daddy!” Izumi complained, a little pout forming on her face.

They both stared at each other, both unwilling to budge.

“Okay, Daddy, let’s meet in the middle. Seven, seven marshmallows”

“Baby, half of ten is five. Not seven”

“Yes, but my expectation is ten marshmallows not five. Five is too low of an offer, Daddy”.

“It’s either five or none, turtleduck”

“Six?”

He shook his head a smile on his lips. Izumi smiled back, jumped down from the chair and bolted for the door.

“Aunty Suki, Daddy says I can have eight marshmallows!!!” She yelled at the top of her lungs.

He ran after her and momentarily forgot how fast children can run, remembering the last time he chased after a child this hard was many years ago as an angsty rebellious teenager.

Oh, how times flies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's nice to write fluffy pieces, I also truly believe that Zuko would be a stern and fair parent.


	5. The day the Earth was still

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes a friend is all you need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh...such a long hiatus. Been overwhelmed with work. Thank you all who left comments and/or kudos!!!

_~Four years before Izumi’s birth~_

It’s been six long and arduous years for Azula. Six years since she has seen her mother and six years since she stepped foot on Fire nation soil. Despite the years away, everything still felt familiar. Being back here, feeling the oppressive heat of summer that’s typical this time of year, the sticky humidity in the air on her skin and seeing the colour red proudly displayed everywhere made her feel conflicted. It felt like lying in the most comfortable bed but not being able to sleep due to a restlessness settling in your bones. 

The funeral was a modest and private affair, Azula had snuck in disguised as one of the maids and watched from afar. 

It was exactly what you expect from a funeral, crying, words of solace, lots of silence and a beautiful touching eulogy by Zuko. As Azula watched the flames envelop her mother’s body, the anger and the hatred seemed to burn away like the flames surrounding her mother, but the loneliness that she felt in the core of her being remained just like the ashes left behind. 

She swallowed the lump in her throat and held back her tears, her hands were clenched and trembling. This wasn’t what she was expecting when she decided to come back and pay her mother a visit. 

What was supposed to happen, was that she was supposed to greet her mother alone in the dark as a terrifying intimidation tactic and then say her piece. She was supposed to confront her mother about how she really felt about her, and then when all was said and done, she would leave, gain closure and finally make peace with herself. 

As plans go, it was simple and straight forward. The universe, of course, had different plans for Azula. Nothing was easy for Azula. Nothing has ever been easy for Azula. Zuko might disagree, he might say something whiny and shallow like how she was born lucky, but Zuko always lacked a keen observation of how the world really worked. He was despite his outward demeanour, an optimist at heart. Azula was always pragmatic. 

For as long as she could remember, she knew that no matter how one might claim that their belief was immovable, that their motivation for something undeniable, that their loyalty was unflappable, that simply was not true. If you put a man under enough duress, if you crush their spirit, destroy their sense of self, anyone can be moulded into anything and that also includes herself.

When a child is exposed to the cruelty of the world, they just grow up fast. Azula was just a child who saw too much. Curious children are smart children, but in the Royal Palace, curious people are dangerous people, curious people have the unfortunate tendency to die quickly especially if they are curious and not clever. 

If Azula was ever in a particularly giving mood, and you asked her to recount the most memorable moments in her life, she would easily recite three such moments: the day she learned to bend lightning, the day she conquered Ba Sing Se, and the day she lost her crown. However, there were several others that she would never retell. Moments that she would bring with her to her grave. 

One such moment was the day she met General Fong and the other was when he was executed. 

General Fong was by far one of Azula’s favourite generals and her first friend in the palace. She remembers the day they met with great fondness. It was a dark and rainy spring afternoon. Azula had run off from her mother’s care to explore the palace grounds by herself. 

The day started off really sunny and humid but then suddenly rain clouds formed. Azula ducked into one of the palace’s rooms for cover. 

“It’s customary to knock before barging in, you know” Azula turned her head to voice and saw General Fong seated at a desk with an upturned eyebrow staring at her. 

“I’m the princess. Every room in this palace is my room” Azula replied sharply. Even at seven years of age, she commanded everyone’s attention. 

“In that case, welcome to my humble office, dear princess” he replied sarcasm lacing his tone. 

“You should watch your tone before I ask father to cut off your tongue” she snarked back. 

“You should learn how to speak to elders before I ask Fire Lord Azulon to punish you” He countered. 

Azula looked at him, he was wearing plain clothes nothing that denoted that he was anyone of important rank. She scoffed at him “Oh really? Who are you to ask my grandfather such a favour?” 

He smiled at her and replied, “I am General Fong”. Azula's eyes widen in shock. She moved closer to the desk, and there in plain sight was a stamp proudly displaying his name and rank. She closed her eyes and sighed. Time to turn on the charm. 

“General Fong! My grandfather speaks so highly of you! He was quite impressed with your victory in Yu Dao and of course your helpful counsel in the conquering of the Hu Xin provinces”. 

He smiled at her and gestured towards the empty seat in front of his desk. “Would you care for some tea? This rain looks like it might be a while before it stops.” Azula slowly walked towards the chair and hesitantly sat down. 

“A word of advice young lady, when in an unfamiliar environment, it is best to scope it out first and learn the lay of the land. Otherwise, you may find yourself in sticky situations more often than not.” 

He pulled open a drawer and took out some tea, and a tea set. He then poured some water from the carafe sitting on his desk into the teapot. Azula looked around the room and noticed how plain and ordinary it looked. It was a stark contrast to the ornateness that she was accustomed to in the wings of the palace she frequents. As she was observing the room, he was observing her. 

General Fong noticed how straight and tall she was sitting in that chair, how she did not kick her feet or twiddle her thumbs, but what really took him aback was how still she was sitting. Now, most parents and adults would be quite proud of this, as most children are usually restless especially at her age. However, he was not fooled. This child is not sitting like this because she was a nice and well-behaved child, this child was sitting like this because it was a developed habit. What gave it away was her eyes. It did not have the gaze of a curious and open-minded child, she bore the gaze of an observant soldier, she was analyzing the situation and his heart broke for her. 

He heated the teapot, surrounding it in blue flame and then very quickly extinguished it. Azula's eyes widen “How, why is your flame blue?” 

He smiled softly “Blue flames are the hottest flames and I wanted tea quick.” 

“Yes, but how did you make your flame blue?” 

“Practise and stillness of mind” he replied and then sipped on his tea. 

He could see the gears grinding in the young child’s mind, trying to work it out. 

“Does it come from the breath?” 

“Yes, but it is the mind that is most important. It needs to be calm and clear.” 

“Can you show me again?” She asked her eyes wide. 

He looked at her and saw it, the look that all children should have, the flicker of childlike curiosity. She did not have the look of a trained soldier anymore but looked like the age she was, seven years young. 

He put out his hand, palm facing upwards and produced a small blue flame. Azula gazed at it entranced. “Do you want me to teach you?” She looked up at him, eyes bright, smile wide and nodded her head. 

That rainy day was the start of a wonderful friendship between teacher and student. From that day on, anytime General Fong was in the palace, Azula would always pay a visit. They would talk about everything, fire bending, his military conquests, palace gossip, but most importantly, Azula never felt the need to fill the silence or make conversation with him. 

Sometimes, they would just sit and watch the weather outside. If anyone asks, she would say that they were practicing fire bending as clarity of mind is necessary to produce blue flame, but really, she treasured those moments because it gave her a much-needed break from the suffocating expectation and pressure of being Fire Lord Azulon’s granddaughter, of being the daughter of Prince Ozai, of being a Fire Nation royal. Here, in the ordinary and plain office of General Fong, she was simply Azula, no honorific needed. Here, she could breathe. 

Then one day, General Fong was gone. 

The reason: Treason against the Fire Nation. 


End file.
